Bag-jaw fastener.



L L. PRAHAR.

BAG JAW PASTBNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1912.

1,039,188. Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

UNITE LESTER L. PRAHAR, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

BAG-J AW FASTENER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LESTER L. PnAI-IAR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bag-J aw Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in jaw fasteners for use on bags, satchels, pocketbooks or similar containers and relates more particularly to that type in which there are two knobs, heads or other projections adapted to spring past each other to retain the jaws in the closed position. My improved locking device is attached to and cooperates with said knobs or projections to positively prevent their separation except upon the movement of the locking device to inoperative position. In its preferred form it is so designed that it may be applied to a bag jaw of a type commonly manufactured without necessitating any changes or alterations in the latter and when applied is inconspicuous and easy to operate. At the same time the device requires a considerable movement away from the said jaws in order to bring it to inoperative position and thus it cannot become accidentally disengaged without becoming conspicuous so that the person carrying the bag will quickly notice it and move it to its operative position.

The device is formed of a single piece of sheet metal attached to one of the projections and attached to move around the other projection at a point closely adjacent the jaw and locks by engagement with either or both ends of the base of the projection or with the side of the jaw. If desired it may lock at all three points so that in case any portion of the locking device becomes bent or displaced it will still serve to perform its function. By forming it of a single strip of sheet metal the cost of manufacture and application to the jaw is very small.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and 1n which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a bag having one embodiment of my locking device secured thereto and shown in solid lines in operative position and in dotted lines in inopera- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 11, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2451912.

Serial No. 696,607.

tive position; Fig. 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the construction shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detailed view looking in the opposite direction from the view shown in Fig. 1.

I have illustrated my improved device as applied to an ordinary form of bag having a body portion 10 and pivotally connected jaws 11 and 12. The two jaws have pro jections thereon, the said projections including base portions 13 and 1-1 terminating in heads or knobs 15 and 16 adapted to spring or snap past each other upon the closing of the jaws. These parts may be of any form commonly employed and constitute no portion of my present invention. The specific form of locking device illustrated includes a sheet metal strip or bar 17 connected to the base portion 1 1 of one of the projections for instance that on the jaw 12, by a pivot pin 18. If desired the bar may have a flange 19 bent to lie across the upper surface of the base 14 of the projection and terminates in a leaf 20 in engagement with the opposite surface of said base so that both ends of the pivot pin will be supported in a portion of the device and the liability of the outward bending of the device at the pivot will be prevented. The bar when swung to an operative position has its lower edge in engagement with or adjacent to the outer surface of the other jaw 11 and extends along the outer side of the base 13 of the projection on said jaw. The bar may extend only a short distance and lock by engagement with the adjacent end of the base 18 or may extend the entire length of said base and lock by engagement with both ends or the farther end. As shown it terminates in a finger piece 21 adjacent to the end of the base 13 and adjacent to this finger piece is a transverse extension 22 terminating in a depending flange or hook 23 serving to lock the base member 11 between parallel portions or leaves of the bar. By forming the locking device in this manner the strain on the knobs tending to open them cannot bend the locking device outwardly to inoperative position.

The locking device may include merely an extension 21 adapted to lie in engagement with the upper surface of the jaw 11 and terminating in a flange 25 engaging with the outer surface of the jaw or this locking flange may be used in combination wit-h the other locking flanges as shown in the form illustrated. By making this extension 24 closely adjacent to the pivot 18 it is evident that it cannot be readily bent by any strain tending to open the jaws and that when so positioned and used in c0mbination with the bar shown it requires the bar to be moved a considerable distance upwardly before it releases and thus should the bar swing upwardly a short distance so as to disengage the looking flange 23, the locking flange 25 will still serve to prevent the opening of the jaws. If the knobs are of such form or are so positioned that one or both of them lie in the same plane with the base portions of either projection it is evident that the bar may have a bowed portion intermediate of its ends to permit itto swing past the knobs. This bowed portion does not interfere with the efficient looking action either at the outer end of the bar or at the end adjacent to the pivot.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts shown in the spirit of my invention and without exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a pair of jaws having locking projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device including a bar having its end portions substantially in parallelism vice pivoted to one of said projections and and having its intermediate portion bowed outwardly, one of said end portions having pivotal connections with the base portion of one of said projections and the other of said end portions having locking engagement with the base portion of the other projechaving fastening projections thereon of a pivotally supported bar having a flange adtion.

2. The combination with a pair of jaws having looking projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device pivotally connected with one of said base portions and movable in the plane of said jaws into engagement with the outer side of the other jaw.

3. The combination with a pair of jaws having projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device including a sheet metal bar movable in the plane of the jaws and extending lengthwise of said base portions and having two spaced leaves upon opposite sides of and pivotally connected to one of said base members and two spaced leaves in detachable locking engagement with the base portion of the other projection.

4. The combination with a pair of jaws having projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device comprising a sheet metal bar extending lengthwise of said base portions and having pivotal connections with the outer end of one of said base portions and a flange adapted to hook over the base portion of the other projection.

5. The combination with a pair of jaws having projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device having two spaced leaves pivotally connected upon opposite sides of the base portion of one of said projections and having a flange for engagement with the outer surface of the other aw.

6. The combination with a pair of jaws having projections thereon including base portions and knobs or heads, of a locking device pivotally connected to the base portion of one of said projections and having a flange for engagement with the outer surface of the other jaw adjacent to said pivotal connection.

'7. The combination with a pair of pivoted aws having projections thereon adapted to spring past each other to hold the jaws in a closed position, of a locking dehavlng two flanges, one for locking engagement with the other projection and one for locking engagement with the aw carrying said last mentioned pro ection.

8. The combination wlth a pair of aws jacent the pivotal support for engagement ,with one jaw and a flange adjacent the free end for engagement with the project-ion of said last mentioned jaw.

Signed at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, this 10th day of May, A. D. 1912.

LESTER L. PRAHA'R.

Vitnesses:

F. L. Coon, CLAIR W. FAIRBANK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

